Sometimes, the Past Really Does Come Back
by King Henry the V
Summary: What do a failed Jedi and a failed Sith Lord have in common? They both wage separate wars against a new threat to the Galactic Alliance, 10 years after the end of the Vong Invasion. This story is an alternate future with a focus on original characters.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story is an alternative future that takes place 10 years (give or take) after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion. The focus is on all-original characters, and the canon characters we all know and love are relegated to the background.

Normal space asserted itself after a breeze of hot air ran through the tramp freighter _Lucky Streak_. Warning lights flashed on the cockpit display, the first sign of trouble in a ship normally filled with hisses and creaks in all the wrong places. Someone used to new ships would have expected the ship to fall apart at any moment. The two crewmembers were slightly less concerned.

Captain Hathes let out a curse, woken up prematurely from his nap. "What in the blasted Rim just happened, Dryden?" he demanded, his feet back on the floor and his attention solely on the ship's pilot.

Rel Dryden checked the console before he stated the obvious. "We lost the hyperdrive." Once he was sure nothing else had shorted out, Dryden turned his attention to the navicomputer.

"This would never have happened if you had fixed the blasted hyperdrive properly in the first place," Hathes snapped bitterly. He was out of his chair and pacing across the cockpit floor in an instant. "Why couldn't I hire a competent pilot?"

Hathes was a buffoon who often took on work tougher than he could handle, and it was Dryden's job to make sure the _Streak_ survived each suicidal attempt. Dryden's certifications were as a combat medic and transport pilot. So far as he was concerned, those were his only skills. "You did." The pilot picked a destination and set the _Lucky Streak_ on its way. "I suggest you buy an astromech." Dryden mentally dismissed the conversation and set a course for the nearest planet with a spaceport.

Hathes glared at the pilot without effect. "Fine." He leaned over a terminal and checked for nearby systems. "We can arrive in Ogden in less than a day, but we won't get the same price for our cargo." Diverting to Ogden meant that _Streak_ would not make it to the Wade System in time to deliver machinery parts for full price. Hathes would have to offload in Ogden to get any kind of profit out of the cargo run. "If the hyperdrive is shot, there isn't anything we can do..." The captain trailed off, and his words were replaced by an evil grin. "If you want to stay aboard this ship, then you had better line us up another job to make up the difference. Without a translator, I'm going to need to buy an LE-series repair droid. Those things don't come cheap."

Dryden made some adjustments on his console to give the illusion of obeying Hathes's command. "Course laid in," he announced. "We'll be at Ogden in no time."

"Fine," Hathes spat. That was as close as he came to thanking Dryden. "It's too bad I can't take the difference out of your check, since this technically wasn't your fault." He skipped a beat. "I can't charge you for the repairs, either." The captain was baiting his pilot into a fight, but Dryden was not playing along. "You had better get us something good," Hathes warned as he left the cockpit with a huff, likely in search of a way to work off his anger.

Life aboard the _Lucky Streak_ was unnecessarily stressful, thanks in no small part to the captain. Any number of captains could have kept the freighter running more smoothly and with fewer headaches. Dryden wondered for the umpteenth time why he continued to work for Clance Hathes.

XxxxX

A robed figure appeared in blue light, hovering above the holographic emitter. "All evidence points to the Mudjarens," the hologram reminded the callers. "So why are you on Ogden?"

Red, glowing eyes framed by dark blue skin made Jedi Tier'lor'nuruodo an evil appearance. Chiss were regarded with suspicion by most sentients in the Galaxy, and it was only through her title of Jedi Knight that she earned trust from many. "Master Roke, I believe that the attack on Das'f'k was more than a border dispute. My apprentice and I suspect that there is evidence to be found here on Ogden."

Jedi Master Quaad Roke visibly relaxed at her words, though he did his best to hide the reaction. Master Roke nodded in approval. "Very well, Jedi Lorna." He did not even try to speak her full name, since most non-chiss butchered the pronunciation. "You exhibit the best traits of your species: patience and thoroughness. The Council trusts your judgment. Keep us informed of your progress." He bowed his head and gave the traditional Jedi parting, "May the Force be with you." With those words, Master Roke blinked into nothingness.

Lorna's apprentice spoke up immediately. "Master Lorna, why did you not tell Master Roke that we already have evidence of a larger conspiracy?"

The Jedi Knight lowered her head ever-so-slightly to take on a more relaxed stance. She was now the humble teacher, not the confident agent of the Council. "Until we discover who is behind the conspiracy, I prefer to keep the details of the investigation to ourselves. We still do not know what resources they have at their disposal, and it would be presumptuous to assume that even an encrypted Holo-Net link is secure." The thought of a stranger observing them sent a chill up the apprentice's spine.

"We have several hours until our final meeting with our contact," Lorna reminded her apprentice. "Be wary, Perhi. Open yourself to the Force and be on the lookout for anything unexpected."

XxxxX

Ogden was a desert world with understandably few settlements on the surface. Though the planet was known for great underground seas and precious gems, the allure of riches was not enough to offset the surface climate. _Lucky Streak_ landed in Ogdenim, the only settlement large enough to be called a city.

Dryden left the spaceport in search of the nearest cantina. Flying for Hathes had taught the young pilot that a cargo hold full of contraband was worth a hell of a lot more than textiles or foodstuffs. The best place to find less-than-legal work was by word of mouth, which meant anywhere that sold drinks was his first destination.

As he reached the entrance one of Ogdenim's cantinas, two familiar figures caught his attention. He did not recognize the face of either female – a chiss and a human – but he recognized their stance. They were Jedi. His hand went unconsciously to a binoc case attached to his belt. It was an unwelcome reminder of what could have been.

The Jedi moved cautiously towards the mouth of a nearby alley. Dryden followed without knowing why, keeping hidden when they checked to see if anyone followed. They must have been anxious, because they did not notice the freighter pilot who had happened upon them. He snuck to the corner after the Jedi entered to watch what transpired.

A nervous twi'lek awaited them. He twitched constantly and kept looking around, as if he expected something to jump out of the shadows. His behavior would have been comical in other circumstances. The twi'lek spoke to the Jedi in hushed, hurried tones that did not reach Dryden. Then he handed over a datapad.

Perhaps several minutes of conversation passed between them before the chiss suddenly took a half-step back and the human stiffened. "Someone is watching us," the chiss announced to the whole alley. The twi'lek took this as a sign to run; he took off in the opposite direction with the speed of one whose life was in danger. Anticipation settled in the twi'lek's absence.

Dryden realized that it was time to come out of hiding. They clearly knew he was there; better that he reveal himself and resolve the situation as peacefully as possible. Just as he stepped into the alley, others also decided it was time to drop the charade. Four black-clad humanoids shimmered into existence with only a spark of electricity and slight hum to announce their presence. It was a technology that had not been seen since long before the Galactic Empire of Dryden's parents' time.

The humanoids held dark vibroswords that would easily cut down the unarmored females. Before the attackers were in range, the females each drew and activated a green-bladed lightsaber. The fight was on, and Dryden had to decide if he wanted to watch or participate.

Out of the binoc case came Dryden's lightsaber. The blade switched on with a _snap_-_hiss_ as he charged the attackers. His lightsaber cut a deep gash into the back of the nearest sentient. The human female used the attention drawn to Dryden to slice open the thorax of another. Both sentients dropped to the ground with faint cries before life left them.

One of the chiss's opponents was dead by the time the humans checked on her progress. The other came in high with a slash designed to cleave her at the shoulder, but the chiss's lightsaber came up to parry. Dryden expected the lightsaber to cut the vibrosword in two, but to his surprise the two blades met as if both were solid. Skill and speed were in the chiss's favor as she stepped towards the attacker and disemboweled him with the same movement used to stop his attack.

Four corpses surrounded the three sentients with lightsabers.

"We should leave before more assassins show up," the human female advised.

Dryden accepted her logic; there would be time for a full interrogation later, though he would likely be the one answering questions at first. He wanted to be somewhere he did not have to worry about invisible assassins. "Where do you suggest?"

The two Jedi shared a look. "We have a hotel room in the city. We can speak there."

XxxxX

A figure stopped on the deserted street. The hood of a black robe dropped, revealing a middle-aged blonde woman whose face was scarred beyond recognition. She caught sight of a reflective surface out of the corner of her eye and a chill reached the core of her being. There would be time for self-pity later. Something else deserved her attention now. She scanned her surroundings with a neutral expression, more a mask than the scars.

Barely-contained fury faded as a pair of lightsabers dropped from within her robe sleeves and into her hands. It was then that the assassins realized that their trap had been discovered.

They charged in without switching off their stealth fields, but their invisibility dispelled the moment they drew weapons. A battle cry that would make the most aggressive kath hound flee in terror did not even make the woman flinch. Red lightsaber blades _snap_-_hissed_ into existence.

Four assassins moved in. The woman threw her lightsaber blades in opposite directions, and two assassins fell dead by the time the weapons returned to her hands. Blood and ozone filled the air before the fight had truly begun.

She leapt towards one side, in the same direction as one of the assassins, and neatly sliced him in half mid-jump. Then her lightsaber blades switched off and the hilts disappeared into her hands. One assassin did not warrant a full defense.

The final assassin readied his weapon, a vibrosword, and slowly circled his supposed victim. Hints of a smile were on the woman's deformed face at his hesitation. "If you were sent to kill Darth Gannon, then tell your master that she is already dead," she told the dark assassin. She already knew that her attempt was futile, but some remnant of her Jedi training insisted she try. "Only Seona lives."

Her words meant nothing to him. He charged forward with another yell.

Seona raised her palm in his direction and a wave of kinetic energy hit him with all the force of a moving speeder. The assassin fell flat, the wind knocked out of him. His weapon clattered somewhere in the distance.

She walked up to the downed assassin, her glare enough to keep him from getting up. "I won't interrogate or kill you," she promised. "Just deliver my message to your master." With that, she turned and walked away.

Her boot heels clicked against the pavement in the steady rhythm or her purposeful stride. Behind Seona was evidence of her previous life. She had not lied to the assassin; Darth Gannon was no more, as surely as if she had been slain. Seona was nothing like the monster that had been Darth Gannon, despite the being the same person. Even if the woman could no longer look herself in the mirror.

She pushed aside her doubts and the tears that threatened to appear. Within minutes, the former Sith Lord disappeared into the depths of the city.


	2. Chapter 2

"I do not recognize you from the Order," the human female began. "Who is your Master? Why are you here?"

Dryden winced at the familiarity of the questions. Similar words had resulted in – no, he needed to focus on the present. The three were in a modest hotel room, located in one of Ogdenim's upscale neighborhoods. There were two separate beds, a single armchair, and a view that showed the spaceport in the distance. A communications console that doubled as an entertainment center was the room's only other feature. Chiss and human Jedi stood with arms folded in their robe sleeves, studying Dryden as he sat in the armchair. The situation felt all-the-Galaxy like an interrogation.

"You surprise me, Perhi," the chiss chided her fellow-Jedi. "You used to idolize this very man."

Perhi studied Dryden's face intently before recognition set in. The moment it did, she looked away with a slight blush. "Rel Dryden. You were sixteen the last time I saw you."

Only then did Dryden place her name as well. Perhi was three or four years younger than he, so their paths had rarely crossed. She had been a child back then, not the woman she was now. It occurred to him that now that they knew who he was, there would be even more questions.

"Why did you leave the Jedi Order?" Perhi demanded. There were hints of betrayal in her voice, which surprised the other two sentients in the room. Perhi's companion noticed Dryden's flash of emotion and did her best to calm them both before a fight erupted.

"There will be plenty of time for those questions," the chiss said. "Dryden, I am Jedi Tier'lor'nuruodo, core name Lorna. Perhi is my apprentice."

None of Lorna's words inspired Dryden with hope. He was being entrapped in his past, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. The question of why he left the Order would come before he was ready to answer, mostly because he refused to admit the reasons to himself. He let Lorna ask why Dryden was on Ogden before he spoke.

"I fly a transport for Clance Hathes. The ship landed on Ogden for repairs and to line up our next job."

Lorna was quick to believe that him being there was a matter of coincidence, though her apprentice was clearly skeptical. "We can use a new ship," the Jedi Knight told him. "Our last one was left on Das'f'k, and public transportation can only take us so far."

Invisible assassins were more than the average transport crew wanted to tackle. Hathes had asked for a job, and he would likely take this one for enough money. Lorna's statement provided a much larger dilemma than finding work or the right price: if Dryden extended an offer, then he was also making a commitment to confront his past. He felt far from ready.

"Tell my why you are on Ogden and who those assassins were. Then I might introduce you to my captain."

A wave of bitterness washed off of Perhi at his request. She took her master aside and they conversed in hushed tones. Whatever objections she had were quickly overcome, though not to Perhi's satisfaction. Her bitterness remained.

"We believe there is a conspiracy to overthrow the Alliance."

Dryden looked at the pair as if they were insane. Not too long ago, the Alliance had saved the Galaxy from the Yuuzhan Vong and reunited it under a common banner. The thought that anyone would want to destroy that newfound unity so quickly was preposterous. Then the Jedi presented him with their findings on Das'f'k and what the twi'lek had told them earlier, and Dryden knew that it was his responsibility to help them. Both Lorna and Perhi were right; their meeting was far from coincidence.

"_Lucky Streak_ isn't the fastest or best-armed freighter in the Galaxy, but I guarantee no one will notice her. Only the Captain can sign a contract, but consider the ship yours."

Lorna thanked him for his pledge. Everyone in the room was aware that they had been brought together by the Will of the Force. Perhi seemed to be least comfortable with the idea, despite Dryden's many reservations. "_Lucky Streak_ sounds like exactly the kind of ship we need. Perhi and I are ready to leave at your convenience."

XxxxX

"Ghtroc 720 stock freighter." Dryden introduced the ship with a measure of pride, almost as if she belonged to Dryden and not Captain Hathes. "At one time, the 720 was the most popular ship in the Outer Rim. Now, they haven't been built in over twenty years." He ran a hand along the bottom of the hull with all the adoration of a doting father. "Hathes found her in a scrap yard and hired an engineer to piece her together from spare parts. The engineer was shot while trying to mutiny, but the _Streak_ still flies." The word "barely" hung in the air unsaid.

"Ugly, but serviceable," Lorna decided with her chiss sensibilities.

Perhi gave the ship a small smile and placed her hand against the hull. "I think she has a lot of potential, if only she had a more attentive captain."

As the Universe went, that was when Hathes entered the hangar. "What are you doing to my ship?" All three turned to see the human with short-cropped blond hair and dark-brown mustache. A touch of silver at either temple proved his natural hair to be pigment-free. Hathes pointed his chin toward Dryden. "Meet R6-S1, Arson." The hangar's occupants started at the inappropriateness of the droid's name. "Take it aboard and show it the hyperdrive access. The parts were already delivered."

Dryden nodded. "Captain, this is Tier'lor'nuruodo, core name Lorna, and Perhi Cartel." His pronunciation of the chiss name revealed fluency that was exceedingly rare in non-chiss. Only Lorna was unsurprised. "They want to hire the _Streak_ for a series of light cargo runs in and out of Alliance space." Dryden called out to the repair droid without concern for the business deal. Jedi knew better than to be cheated and were too fair to cheat a freighter captain – particularly an honest one like Hathes.

"Bleep-deet-du-du-dreev," the droid beeped as it made to follow Dryden aboard, an astromech's equivalent to a string of curses. Its personality was as ugly as its red-and-gold paint job.

"Alright, Arson, just do what you're told." Dryden smirked at the droid's constant chattering all the way to the hyperdrive access. Arson would be a constant source of amusement, if nothing else. Hathes had gone along with Dryden's suggestion to purchase an astromech, but of course Hathes had done it in his own way. _Lucky Streak_'s captain would never admit when Dryden was right or had a good idea.

His task complete, Dryden climbed the second ramp towards the cockpit in order to monitor Arson's progress. Watching the display did not keep him as busy as he had hoped, and Dryden found his mind wandering towards the final incident that had caused him to walk away from the Jedi Order...

Xxxxx

"That code is invalid," said the guard outside the Praxeum gates.

Rel Dryden crossed his arms and set his face. More unacceptable news, just what he needed. This was not Dryden's day, week, or month, and the Jedi Apprentice was fully prepared to take it out on the guard. To his credit, the human opposite Dryden stood his ground. "I must have forgotten my access code. Call for Master Serali; he will vouch for me."

The guard practically snarled. "You and half the city. If you have business with the Jedi Council, you can petition for a hearing like everyone else. In case you haven't noticed, the Galaxy is at war. They don't have time to listen to ever Luke, Anakin, and Leia who wants to play tourist."

"I already told you," Dryden tried. His patience was wearing thin, despite several years of training as a Jedi. "I'm not a tourist. I am apprentice to Master Serali."

"Then where is your lightsaber?" the guard countered. Trust him to ask for the one object Dryden had left with Serali. "There is no Jedi Master by the name of Serali inside the Praxeum. Now stop wasting my time." Serali was a Jedi Knight, not a Jedi Master – but the guard would never see that distinction. Dryden started to object again, but the guard did not listen. The man in uniform went so far as to call backup to "deal with a problem." Minutes later, Dryden was forcibly removed from the premises...

xxxxX

"We have a launch window," Hathes announced. He took the fore-left cockpit seat and turned towards his pilot, bringing Dryden's full attention to the present. "Arson tells me the hyperdrive will be working by takeoff, which is scheduled in about three hours."

Dryden resorted the information on his console to verify the claim. If Arson maintained its current pace, the ship would be ready with plenty of time to spare. "Did our passengers tell you their first stop?"

"Ivri, near the Unknown Regions. They have a copper shortage that the chiss wants to cash in on." So the Jedi had not confided in Hathes. The Captain was probably trustworthy, but it was Lorna's choice to make. The fact that Dryden could not vouch for Hathes' ethics probably made the Jedi uneasy. Even so, Dryden had to admit that transporting copper made for a fair cover.

"That's ... strange," Dryden realized. Why would a chiss rent a ship to make a few cargo runs? The profits would be minimal, at best.

Hathes shrugged. "The Boss is entitled to whatever quirks she wants to have. She offered to buy the ship for a generous price at the end of our contract. I hope to use the money to get a ship that didn't come from the local trash heap."

"Buy the _Streak_?! Who in their right mind would want to do that?" _Lucky Streak_ was beyond a piece of junk, no matter how much pride Dryden had in the ship. Those blasted, meddling Jedi with their ideals and incessant need to "help" people...

"You got me. The only condition was that you stay on as pilot, so you know you have another job lined up." Hathes looked at the ceiling, as if trying to remember something. He scratched his nose and it came to him. "Oh, right. I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Pretend you don't know, will you?"

A growl was forthcoming. Dryden could feel it ready to build in the back of his throat, but he held back. No use in getting angry at his captain; opportunist was as opportunist did. Dryden would speak to them once they were underway. In the meantime, he had more systems to check.

XxxxX

Darth Primus, Dark Lord of the Sith, stood on balcony before thousands of troops clad in golden armor. He was larger than life in his robes. The black-and-grey armor underneath was equally impressive, and made him impervious to anything short of artillery or another Sith Lord.

In the shadows of the balcony stood Darth Gannon in her own armor, her entire figure covered by black robes. She was the more powerful of the pair, yet the soldiers were loyal only to Primus, the apprentice.

"Together," Darth Primus announced to his troops in a voice that resonated beyond natural acoustics, "we will rule this Galaxy." There was a cheer from the troops that grew in volume, even as the scene faded from existence...

Seona awoke in a panic, unable to breathe. Fear overwhelmed her. She managed to get control of her body once again with forced calm, the Jedi Code reiterating through her mind:

There is no emotion; there is peace.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

There is no death; there is the Force.

_There is no emotion; there is peace_. The nightmare was a vision of the past. She desperately wanted to prevent that past from ever happening again, and Seona knew it was within her power. She longed for the days at the Academy, with Tann and Cotan. Tann was now a married man, and Cotan a murdered Sith Lord once named Primus. Even death was better than the path she had led him down.

She wanted to find a sink and wash her face. The problem was that a sink meant a mirror, and Seona was still unable to look at her scars. She resolved the situation with a push of the Force that threw the mirror from the wall. Peace was such a distant ideal, but the water helped.

Rather than focus on her thoughts, Seona dressed for the day and left her excuse for an apartment. Very few people knew what Darth Gannon looked like. Most were dead, yet yesterday's assassination attempt proved that there were still those who remembered. Seona cloaked herself in the Force and made for the streets to begin yet another day.

A single squad of assassins had been a proclamation to Seona. They knew she was still alive, even if Darth Gannon was effectively dead. "Effectively" must not have been enough. Rather than wait for more assassins to come, Seona opted to leave the planet.

Assassins, unfortunately, were not the only ones after her. Armored sentients stood on-guard at the spaceport entrance. The rifles and repeaters in their hands looked deadly.

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked with the illusion of politeness. She tugged all the harder with the Force, but for naught. Her opponents had experience with Force-wielders.

One of them raised his rifle. "It's her," he said. "Darth Gannon, the Sith Lord. Don't bother taking her alive, she's too dangerous."

She only had a moment before they opened fire. "You've mistaken me for someone else," she tried, with emphasis from the Force. This attempt did not work either. Blaster bolts lanced towards the former Sith Lord.

Some of the attacks were deflected by twin lightsabers that seemingly materialized out of nowhere. She moved in a blur of motion that destroyed weapons and removed arms. In under a minute, all the attackers were dead or on the ground. The lightsaber hilts disappeared into Seona's robe sleeves.

One of the still-living sentients glared at Seona between labored breaths. "Sith spit."

She considered a response, but wit would be wasted on someone who tried to kill her. Not that her opponent had long to live. "Why did you try to kill me?"

The sentient snorted. "Die, Sith."

Seona ignored the empty words and searched her attackers. Credits would be helpful in the difficult times to come, and a blaster at her side might make a decent cover. One of the recently deceased had a datapad with particularly noteworthy information: a bounty for her head. It was definitely time to leave the planet.


End file.
